Suiting All Tastes at LWE

Upcoming LinuxWorld Expo Aims at Enterprise, Community

December 16, 2002

By
Brian Proffitt

LinuxWorld Expo (LWE) has long been held as a central cultural and
technical event for the Linux community, and organizers have expanded
the range of programs and exhibits to make sure the corporate and
enterprise newcomers to the community also feel very welcome.

This is the message that the organizers of the conference IDG World
Expo, are working hard to get out. So far, it seems to be successful:
pre-registration numbers are up from this time last year, with many
attendees coming from companies with 1,000-plus employees.

This year's LWE has much of the same features that have been large
draws in the past: the Taste of Linux series, the Open Source Product
Excellence Awards--even the Golden Penguin Bowl. Attendees will notice
that while many of the old exhibits and programs are back again this
year, several more sessions have been added that are specifically
targeted to the enterprise.

In particular, two major new features have been added to the first
2003 LWE that sponsors and organizers hope will effectively
demonstrate the power of Linux in corporate environments: the Linux
Financial Summit and the Enterprise Solutions Center.

The Linux Financial Summit is a new track specifically targeted at
financial IT executives who want to learn how they can use Linux and
open-source technology within their vertical industry. According to
IDG World Expo VP Rob Scheschareg, the Summit is the first of many
that will take place in this and future LWEs.

"We will be targeting different verticals during each Expo,"
Scheschareg explained. "In New York, it makes sense to lead off with
the financial services industry."

Perhaps the most unusual new exhibit will be the Enterprise Solutions
Center, which will be a hands-on laboratory smack in the middle of the
Exhibition Floor. This laboratory will have modules that will simulate
data center, wireless, and Internet commerce solutions using actual
live technology, Scheschareg said.

The exhibit will be sponsored and created by Linux International and
WildOpen Source. Linux International's President and Executive
Director Jon "maddog" Hall described the Solutions Center as "an
office mock-up where real people will use real open-source tools to do
their work." Hall expressed real excitement about this exhibit, and
excitement that was mirrored by Scheschareg.

The Open Source Product Excellence Awards, a perennial favorite, have
new categories, Scheschareg said. Included among the new awards are
Best Clustering Technology and Best Front-office Software.

The educational programs have been tuned up as well. Scheschareg said
that the classes should be able to accommodate a broader range of
attendees-from the hard-core IT worker looking for new in-depth
information, to the high-level executive who needs to figure out what
all this Linux hubbub is about. Scheschareg said that about 12-14
sessions will be geared towards the business implications of Linux.

The accommodation of the enterprise is a formalization of a process
that has slowly changed the tenor of the last few instances of the
semi-annual LWE. In recent years, many attendees have commented upon
the growing pervasive corporate nature of the conference. Scheschareg
indicated that this perception has indeed been reflected by the
attendance numbers.

"Attendees have moved up the chain in IT decision making," he said.

At the same time, vendors have strongly matured in their Linux
offerings, Scheschareg stated. IBM, Intel, and the rest have firmed up
their own messages and products relating to Linux and are more ready
than ever to deliver those messages to a corporate audience.

But Scheschareg was quick to emphasize that is LWE would be more
favorable than ever to the corporate "suits," there were still plenty
of things in the expo from which the average Linux user could
benefit.

"These folks are very much a part of our core audience," Scheschareg
said, "They should get a sense of empowerment that their own
experiences will be in hot demand in the corporate world." He added
that the opportunities for peer-to-peer contact were still excellent
at this event.

No matter what type of attendee comes to LWE, Scheschareg stated,
there would be benefits for all.

"You can learn a lot from our show just by picking your spot," he
concluded.

The LinuxWorld Expo will take place January 22-24, 2003 at The Javits
Center in New York City. The Conference will run concurrently on
January 21-24. Visit the LWE
Web site for more information on registration, housing, and events.